Abstract
The study investigated the socio-economic factors affecting potato consumption among households in Odeda Local Government Area (LGA), Ogun State. Multistage sampling technique was used to gather information from 80 households using a structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression model. The study showed that 67.5 % of the household-heads were male, 42.5 % were less than 30 years old, more than half (53.8 %) had income less than NG₦50,000.00 (US$322.59) monthly while 55 % and 68.8 % spend less than NG₦2,000.00 (US$12.90) on sweet and Irish potato, respectively, on a monthly basis. The linear functional form for sweet potato regression result showed that the total household income and sweet potato market price were both significant at 5 % with the coefficient of determination (R2) being 0.611 while the double-log functional form for Irish potato regression result showed that age of household-head, Irish potato market price and price of substitute (yam) were significant at 5 %, 10 % and 10 %, respectively, with coefficient of determination (R2) being 0.897; and had a positive relationship with potato consumption in the study area. Conclusively, the age of household-head, total monthly income, price of potato and price of substitute were factors that determined consumption of potato in the study area. In order to combat problems of malnutrition and to contribute to improvement in households’ welfare in Odeda LGA, efforts should be intensified in ensuring that households have access to adequate quantity of food and promotion of households’ education on the nutritional values and human nutrition with respect to age and gender are necessary.